Colonel Jaber Mohamed Rashid Odaiba
Doha: The measures taken to address the serious issue of traffic accidents in the Sealine area have so far been successful. Traffic Police patrols, Al Fazaa and others have succeeded in controlling traffic violations and reckless driving in the area, senior official at the General Directorate of Traffic said.
“The measures carried out by the committee in charge of Sealine have been successful so far but the challenge is still present as the camping season has yet not ended. It will continue until end of March,” Colonel Jaber Mohamed Rashid Odaiba, Assistant Director of the Media and Traffic Awareness Department at the General Directorate of Traffic said.
The General Directorate of Traffic had established a special committee to address the serious issue of traffic accidents in the Sealine area. The committee started its work from the beginning of the winter camping season and will continue until the end of March.
The committee’s focus is on Sealine because it is among the places where a large number of vehicles and people are present during the camping season as well reckless dune bashing is practised in the area. It was formed with the aim to plan, supervise, follow up to ensure a safe camping season.
Odaiba called upon everybody to adhere to the procedures and rules for camping, especially those related to traffic rules.
He pointed out that the General Directorate of Traffic and the rest of the security patrols are conducting many patrols in the area, especially on Fridays and Saturdays, to seize violators of traffic rules such as hiding vehicle plate number among others.
According to the traffic statistics released two months ago by the General Directorate of Traffic, 18 people died in vehicular accidents in the area during 2017-19, in addition to 122 people suffering from serious injuries. In light of this, the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) has also stationed an air ambulance (helicopter) in the Sealine area during the weekends, in addition to a fleet of 13 ambulances and other medical vehicles. The Sealine area is covered by LifeFlight service throughout the year. Additionally, 13 4x4s cars have been dedicated to the Sealine area for the camping season.
Regarding the shops which rent out buggies, Colonel Odaiba said that they are committed to the conditions and safety controls imposed by the Department.
Nevertheless, the inspection section of the Department conducts many inspection visits to these shops to ensure that they are comply with all rules set by the department. About few traffic accidents happened in the area, he emphasised on need for parents’ cooperation with Department because they should monitor their children. Also awareness drives are being conducted weekly by the Department to enhance security during the camping season.
